This invention relates generally to an electronic packaging assembly including a box and support therefor and, more particularly, to such an assembly in which a connector member on the rear of the box is mated with a connector member at the rear of the support with zero insertion force.
It is common practice in aircraft to mount avionics "black boxes" on shelves with an electrical connector member mounted on the back of each box which engages with a mating connector half mounted on the rear of the shelf when the box is slid fully to the rear of the shelf. The avionics "black box" contains electronic circuitry and components necessary for controlling the various functions of the aircraft. As aircraft avionics become more complex, the number of wires required to connect the box to the aircraft's wiring increases. The forces required to mate the two connector halves of the connector associated with each box now used in these applications is proportional to the number of contacts. For example, a box having approximately 600 contacts has an insertion or mating force of about 200 lbs. It is therefore desirable that a connector be utilized for this application which has a zero insertion force. Connectors of this general type are well known in the art. An example of such a connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,698 to Anhalt. A zero insertion force connector contains fixed contacts in one connector half and movable contacts in the second connector half. An actuating plate is provided in such second connector half which, when shifted, moves the movable contacts into electrical engagement with the fixed contacts in the first connector half. Thus, in order to utilize a zero insertion force connector in an aircraft avionics assembly as described hereinabove, there is required some means at the front of the shelf which supports the box to actuate the connector at the rear of the shelf. Further, some means is required to positively latch the box in order to prevent it from lifting off of the shelf. It is the purpose of the present invention to achieve one or more of these objectives.